The disappearing wheelhouse (again) - part 15

Hmmm I bet you dus be wonderin wot appened to ma bloggy! Or maybe not .. heehee. Well wot wiv one fing an annuva I did get bit sidetracked.

Last time I did tell you bout how we ad started to remove da old wheelhouse, tellin you bout all da fun an games mum an dad ad tryin to do cranin in the dark.  You can read all about dat in this previous chapter!

They finally admitted defeat and decided to wait til the followin day to finish off removin rest of da wheelhouse. Next mornin they hooked up da crane ready for the removal of the last parts.

Den on goes the kettle and time for surveyin dat stuff they had craned the night before. I was asked to assist wiv dis most impawtant task. Ma ball did come along for security reasons that I am unable to discuss wiv you at dis time wifout the appropriate clearance. I got to admit, I dus look a bit confussled hee-hee.

After a quick safety check to make sure everyfink not gonna roll over down into the river or fall on anyway (especially me!) was time to move back onto the remainin part of da wheelhouse that needed removin.

Me an mum trotted off to set up camp in da crane once more while dad prepared for more cuttin. Our pal Jared did come along to elp out as was a Saturday an he wasn't goin a work dat day. Can you spot em?

First dey cut the remainin wheelhouse in two and lifted off da front part. We dussnt av no photo of dat coz da camera run out of battery at dat point and mum ad to put em on  charge! Den the final bit still welded has the exhaust in it. Dat come all da way up from da engine room so dad had to make sure he cut it down there as well. Ere does go da exhaust stack!

The final bit! Goodbye smeggy old wheelhouse. No more sleepin on dat freezin floor or wakin up in wot felt like a greenhouse in summer! No more horrible smelly mouldy carpet, no more rotten wood, no more trippin up dem steps and banging your head (mum of course!) on da hatch!

Den, before we knows it, Atlantis has no wheelhouse any more. Don't she look weird! Here dus be the before an after, jus in case your forgotted wot she was like!

Before!

After! (Oh and dat big wooden fing behind Atlantis does be a houseboat dad buildin on a lighter for a customer but dat is annuva story).

Hmmm, wonder wot is gonna appen wiv all dat scrap I hear you ask? Well da funny Gypsy man (he is a real Gypsy I not bein rude) come around a take it away on his truck of course! We fort his truck was gonna have trubble but he dun a couple of trips.

So dat was it, there was a few big scary gaps where da wheelhouse had been removed and dad had to cut away some of the plates to get to fings so for da moment we did cover it wiv a big tarpaulin to stop da worst of any rain goin straight down into da engine room.

Me and mum (well mum mainly) was banned from goin up there for obvious reasons! As in, she wod forget that there was a huge hole where the tarpaulin was and walk on it then fall 15 feet down into the bilge! I wonder, dus you fink dad was right to ban her? We dus!

Tune in next time to see if she fell down the ole! Catch u laters, alligators!

The disappearing wheelhouse - part 14

Is now May 2008 and we dus be continuin wiv da removal of da wheelhouse. Dey had successfuly ripped out all da interior and dad decided to cut the wheelhouse off in three stages.

Da first stage was the back of the wheelhouse up to the ladder leadin to da roof. Once he'd made all da cuts he needed, they were ready to make the first big lift. Mum dus be operatin da crane an takin photos. Not easy to do boaf, which is why at first she only take photos when dat first load is safely on da ground! Once they got the first one out of da way they realise was all gonna be ok! The crane was copin easily wiv da weight and mum was havin no problems wiv da lifts. Ere dus be da first load safely on da shore.

Woofhoo!! Piece of the cake. I was locked inside during lifts and drops in case da crane did drop its load on ma head.  Errr ok no argument from me mum! Dad seems to be lookin ravar relaxed bout da whole affair ;)).

Dad starts the next cut and decides they gonna remove da front from da wheelhouse. Dis one is a big lift and very heavy so best to get it down as soon as possible. They are losin light fast which aint elpin! Dey put all da chains and hooks in place as he start cuttin and mum puts some tension on da chains to help dad wiv da cuttin. Ere he dus be doin da cuttin wiv da gas axe.

At dis point dad ad to stop cuttin and they had to work out what they was doing wif all da wires, cables and pipes. They spent some time cuttin and removin what wasn't necessary and chasin some of it back to da engine room to see what they had to keep. It took a lot longer dan anticpiated and by the time they were done it was dark. 

They discussed the best fing to do next. They could leave everyfin til da next mornin but now da crane was holdin the front of da wheelhouse in place, dad was worried about stability of the crane, the wind, the tide and all of us safety. They decide to press on and dad say to mum is she sure she can handle da crane in the dark. Let's go for it, she say. So they did. Bloddy bonkers if your arks me! 

Dad continue wiv da cuttin on da starboard side and mum wait pashuntly in da cab of da crane for da next lift. She decided to take me into da crane wif her for safety and I fink for bit of support! Coz she talkin all da time to me tellin me wot goin on  'right Lexie, wot we gonna do now is, we gonna push dat lever forward to bring down the chain, right?'. Ok mum ;)). Ere it goes! Mum pull back da lever and keep slowly increasin da tenshun in da chain. The crane start to tip forward (even a big crawler crane like dat cud be pulled over)  as mum pull back. The front of da wheelhouse suddenly pop free and dere it is hangin in da air!

Dey stop for a moment and mum relax back in da cab and wait for her heartbeat to go back to normal! Phewie! Dat woz bit scary I fink. No time for stopping dad say. Let's get dat bit on da shore as quick as we can! Up, up, up mum dus lift it higher and higher to make sure it can clear Atlantis.

And higher! Keep your nerve now mum!

Mum holds da lift in posishun while dad comes safely ashore to direct mum on da last part to lower it down to da ground. She moves da boom to the right and uses da levers to  bring down the chain at da same time as she lower da arm. It is very dark now! You can see da telegraph pole in dis photo (just) wot she has tt make sure she don't knock down wiv da boom. Is bout 10.30pm at dis time.

 

Dad decide is too dangrious to carry on so they get it all on da ground and den pack up for da night. They can carry on in da mornin coz there is lot of cuttin still to do. 

Wiv dat is off to bediscles for an early start. Tune in next time and you will see the final lifts and Atlantis wifout a wheelhouse.

It must be frew da ... round window - part 10

Well hello furriends! Is still 2007 - was a very busy year you know? Dad, never content wiv one or two fings on da go at once, decides to buy the drydock where we was living at the workin wharf.

Before he know where he at, he's workin on Atlantis, Auldyn River, anovva houseboat build and boats comin in and out da drydock. Here he is stick weldin on some fingamabobbies wot is called anodes on a boat in dere. Dat his old weldin elmet he did arsk me to point out! (dog knows why!!)

They decides is time to take on more peoples and dad starts a small boat buildin business. Headin up da team dus be ma favouritest person Jared! We also has is bruvva workin for us he has long hair wot dus be called dreadlocks an he likes to run after me in da yard tryin to steal ma ball! We also has annova couple called Fry and Leela  (like from da futurama - dat is not they real names but wot we called dem for fun). They dus let me eat some of dey samwuches but we dussnt tell mum bout dat! Dat is just between us ok???

Mum dus be workin from ome quite a bit an has set up her office in da galley (kitchen). We is quite cozy in dere although sometime she get wet from da hole in da roof where dad is cuttin away old metal ready to make it easier to remove da wheelhouse. She has to wear her cagule. There be lots of noise goin on too but she dussnt mind, she all fixed up wif appropriate cloavin as you an see! Is dark in there so she has to squint ;)).

When mum is at ome I dus make maself comftibles in da galley as well. Is nice and warm in dere most of da time. We turns the cooker on for extra warmf if it get too cold. Mum make sure she sorts me out wif ma comfy cushion next to her in da galley as well!

Course as we knows, before dad cud take off da wheelhouse, he had to build da bedroom and before he cud do that, he had to finish off da back structure (wot we calls da saloon). Oh, I forgot, fings were made a lot easier wif dad's latest purchase - a big crane! Here he is sittin in da cab.

Dad also used da crane to build the two-storey wooden structure wot would go on top of da lighter he was buildin as a houseboat for a customer. Dey builded da structure on da land by da wharf and then wud use da crane to move it onto da lighter which was moored next to Atlantis. Ere dus be da wooden structure. Dem windows is from China!

Meanwhile back on Atlantis, Dad and Jared was workin on preparing da back structure for da windows. First of all they dun painted da structure so it would be easier to mark out da windows. Then they use a template made of some stuff wot is called MDF and cutout all da steel to form da windows. Here dus be a before and da after shot - can you see dem differences?

Before:

After:

Here's da view from da inside after dey had blasted and painted it.

Maybe you dus remember dat it looked like dis at da start back in 2003 and mum is standin in roughly da same place for boaf photos!

I fink 2007 was their hardest year. They worked really hard and achieved a lot dat year. I hasn't even telled you bout all da ovva fings yet! So I leave it there for now with a lovely sunset over da river.

Bye for now pals fanx for readin ... in da next episode ..... mum and dad get a bedroom complete wiv bed!

You have just been through a black hole - fanx for travellin wiv da Lexie

We is makin a quick stop in 2010 just before we heads back to 2004 and find out more about what shall henceforth be known as "Year of da Lexie"!

At da weekend we did move our crane to its new home ... a massive 300 yards away! Dis may not sound a long way but it was difficult for our dad to do becoz he has to get the crane arm, which dus be da longest fing eva, under a telegraph pole wire and round vehicles and wot not. He was bery close to dis car but managed to miss running it over:

Da weather was orrible an it was persistently precipitatin (dat be rainin to you lot). Luckily our friend Mark was there wiv his friend (who did give me a bit of his cornish pasty) and he let us hide in his container when it was really bad. He's got it all set up nice wiv some old car chairs, a big heater, a radio and lights. Is quite cosy! They never had a doggie their container before so I's fort it best to check around for crumbs and such:

Dad hop up in da cab and mum get into position ready to direct da crane arm under the wire while makin sure dat as the crane tracks back it don't hit nuffink or he don't drive into a car. Dis be da crane arm touchin da telephone wire:

Telegraph polls clear is now time to move some of da ova vehicles wot is in da yard. Our friend Mark has a forklift which he did use to move fings about. H did use da forklift to move dat blue truck:

Dad was jumpin in and out da cab of da crane and each time he hear funny lickle noise dat he not recognise. Hmm me finks no matter just carry on wiv da job in hand. Den .... he did rip his jeans in da most embarrassin area for a man ... around his meat n two veg, if you get ma drift! Mum had to rush off to da shops and buy him some new ones! Here do be the casualities:

The crane did move into place slowly but surely. I was checkin the yard to make sure everyfin was in order. Crane? What crane? I neva saw a fing occifer!

So, there passes anova day in da life of da Lexie! Now, back to 2004 where mum and dad are comin to terms wiv icy pontoons, frozen water pipes and crossin boats in the dark!

So fanx for stoppin by. It was ... nice to see you ... to see you nice!